THE P RTAL
January 2011 Page 3
The Ordinariate Begins
By Arnold Herron
All over England groups of people are meeting to prepare for a journey , a pilgrimage even . Some of these groups are large . Others are but a handful of people . Most are between twenty and thirty souls .
What they have in common is that they are all getting ready for a move . They are moving into the Catholic Church and the Ordinariate . Fear and anxiety , excitement and happiness are all mixed up together . It is a courageous action . That over-used word “ historic ” has been used , but in this case it may be the correct word .
For the first time in four hundred years the Anglican Communion is being re-united with the rock from which it was hewn . If not all are going , then a part at least . Others will follow , of that there may be no doubt .
Some will scoff . Others shake their heads . Make no mistake , this will change the face of Christianity in this country . We would love to tell you just who these groups are . But we cannot . It will be up to each group to announce their decision as and when they are able .
Will buildings go as well ? Some may , most will not . Our Bishops are leading the way , the priests and people will follow . Surely it is a real Episcopal thing to do ?
The Ordination of women to the priesthood and the episcope , openly homosexual clergy , serial monogamy , same sex marriages , lay celebration of the Eucharist , prayers before and after an abortion and for euthanasia ; these are all part of modern-day Anglicanism . They have helped to cause the move . But : The Portal must declare that none of these listed horrors , shocking though they be , is the real cause for people leaving the Church of England and joining the Catholic Church . The real reason is much simpler . If you are a Catholic and believe the Catholic Faith , why are you not a member of the Catholic Church ?
Those moving are Catholics . They believe the Catholic Faith . It is logical therefore that they join the Catholic Church . Evangelism , the new life of the Baptised , the glories of the Eucharist – all will be embraced with enthusiasm .
This week , the week of the publication of our first edition , is the week when the Ordinariate begins . Elsewhere in this edition is an interview with Bishop Alan Hopes . An Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Westminster , Alan Hopes , an ex-Anglican , has been charged with bringing the Ordinariate in the UK into being . It has been a tall order , but he has done it .
The Faithful Three are to be ordained priest this coming Saturday in Westminster Cathedral at 10.30am .
Many will wish to be there to support and welcome them . It will be a big day for John Broadhurst , Andrew Burnham and Keith Newton and their families . It will be a big day for Archbishop Vincent Nichols . It will be a big day for the Catholic Church in the UK .
Other ordinations will follow . Edwin Barnes and David Silk will most likely be next . Soon the groups of laity and clergy will emerge . Numbers will be small at first , but even great oak trees start as acorns . Local Catholic congregations will be welcoming . Jewels will be brought to the Catholic Church by these groups ; and they will receive jewels from the Catholic Church they are joining .
Key words in all this are “ Mission ” and “ Unity ”. A missionary zeal is needed in our secular country . The Ordinariate could well stimulate such zeal . Heaven knows the Christian Faith is little understood in many quarters today . Unbelief and half-belief are common . The Faith comes under pressure in many work places . We pray that the Ordinariate will stimulate such missionary endeavour .
Unity has seemed elusive these past years . There was a time when we all thought the great United Church would emerge around the turn of the twentieth and twenty first centuries . It was not to be . Many thought we were that close , but suddenly the prospect of unity was snatched away .
In the document “ Anglicanorum coetibus “, His Holiness Pope Benedict issued an invitation , an invitation that - so the document itself declares – is mandated by Jesus Christ himself . It is a first step to unity . As these steps often are , it may be misunderstood , it will be small . Yet we pray that it will bear fruit .
The Portal will do all it can to promote the Ordinariate , and that Mission and Unity that it offers to our country . Register on our Web Site – www . portalmag . co . uk – and you . . . The Portal is free !!!
Go to the Web Site and read it on-line or download and print it . This printed copy may then be given to someone without internet access .
Our Catholic friends and friends still in the Church of England will join us in prayer for the new venture . We urge all our readers to do the same . May God bless the Ordinariate and all who sail in her !